Press.



No. 769,597. PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

W. E. ELAM.

PRESS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 9, 1004. 9 N0 MODEL. 3 SHEETS-SHEET 1. @3 1 I I I I? I #3 1 |I I 4 II 7 K I /(J l V r H g l I x fluve-nfoz I We l'ucmcs PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

W. E. BLAM.

PRESS.

APPLIOATION FILED MAY 9. 1904.

3 SHBBTS-SHEET 2.

N0 MODEL.

PATENTED SEPT. 6, 1904.

W. E. ELAM.

PRESS.

APPLICATION FILED MAY 9, 1904. N0 MODEL- 3 SHEETS-SHEET 3.

Patented September 6, 1904.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

WILLIAM E. ELAH, OF COLUMBUS, GEORGIA.

PRESS.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 769,597, dated September 6, 1904. Application filed May 9, 1904. Serial No. 207,052. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that 1, WILLIAM E. ELAM, a citi- Zen of the United States, residing at Columbus, in the county of Muscogee and State of Georgia, have invented new and useful Improvements in Presses, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to presses of the class in which the press-box is moved with respect to the formed bale to expose the latter; and it involves a novel frame or way for the sliding press-box, means for holding the unbound bale under compression after the press-box and the compressing-plunger have both left it, means whereby the plunger itself is made to engage the press-box and move it forcibly from the bale, and further involves providing the plunger with a separable face block or platform having a marginal recess adapted to receive the loose portion of such bale-wrappings as are usually placed upon the plunger at the proper time.

In the accompanying drawings, Figure l is a side elevation of the main portion of the apparatus, the press-box being near the upper limit of its path. Fig. 2 is a similar view showing the completed bale properly wrapped and bound, but still held in place after the box is lowered to expose it. Fig. 3 is an elevation looking to the left in Fig. 1.

line 4: L, Fig. 1. Fig. 5 is a view similar to Fig. a, certain parts being removed to show others more clearly.

1n the figures, A A represent four upright posts connected at top and bottom by heavy pieces A A A A which are bound together by vertical rods A and form, with the posts, a strong frame and way in which slides a pressbox B, symmetrically placed with respect to the posts and having the spaces between the planes of its vertical walls and the corresponding inner faces of the posts occupied at the top, bottom, and middle by horizontal bars Fig. i is a sectional plan view, section being on the B B, bound together in pairs by threaded i rods and also fixed to the walls of the box. One pair of the bars in each set lies above the tion of the plunger.

other pair and each projects alongside the adjacent posts, which thus fit the angles made by the projecting end portions of the overlapping bars and hold the box securely and accurately in line, while permitting it to move freely in a longitudinal direction. The upper part of the press-box is not laterally openable, but the lower part has on one side adoor C, hinged at the lower side to swing outward between projecting portions of the side walls C and form with them a chute for guiding material into the lower part of the box. These projecting portions are supported and held accurately in place partly by their direct connection with the main portion of the box-wall and partly by rigid strips X, fixed to them and to the body of the box. The means for forcibly opening, closing, and locking the door are substantially the same as the devices set forth in my Patent No. TSLeLST, and as they have no novelty it is unnecessary to describe them in detail. The material to be acted upon is compressed against a bed formed by securing members D to the upper frame members, but far enough apart to allow passing ties between them. The press-box is normally held in the upper part of the frame by bails l), pivotally attached to the upper part of the frame and engaging projections B upon the press-box. These bails may at will be held out of engagement by hooks l) borne by the frame. In this instance the press-box is shown as also provided with counterweights 1). tending to the extent of their weight, whether that be greater or less, to raise the box to its highest position and to hold itthere.

In the lower part of the frame is a screw E, carried by a geared nut E, supported from the lower frame members and rotated in either direction at will by means of a pinion E a shaft E, fast pulley E, and oppositely-running belts E" E", normally carried by loose pulleys E E, respectively, and shifted to the fast pulley by one or the other of two shipping devices E" E The screw bears at its upper end a plunger F, upon which detachably rests a face block or platform F, forming what may be considered a detachable see- This block or plungersection is provided with a lateral recess F to receive the free marginal portion of the usual wrappings spread over the plunger. The upper portion of this block consists of bars F arranged like and registering with the press-bed bars D above, and hence ties may be passed completely around the bale while it is held between the bed and this block or plunger-section. Upon opposite sides of the block are projections F, which extend out ward beyond the planes of the press-box walls, which are provided with vertical slots F, in which the projections freely rise and fall. Below these projections are projections F", borne by the body of the plunger and, like those first mentioned, rising and falling in the slots in the box-walls. Upon opposite sides of the box are projections B adapted to engage swinging catches B when the box descends far enough to permit it, and thereby the box is held in lowered position. Each of the catches is counterweighted in such manner that it normally remains in engaging position; but each projects over the adjacent slot in the press-box and presentsan oblique surface to the projections upon the ascending or descending plunger, and thus as the plunger rises and falls the catch is automatically thrown out of engaging position at certain points. Upon the middle bars B B are mounted stops or slides G, which may be moved into and out of the paths followed by the plunger projections, and if it be borne in mind the bars are fixed to the box it will be evident that when the slides lie in the paths of the projections the plunger cannot advance after meeting the slides without carrying the box onward. As shown, the slides are rods bent in a plane in such manner that in one position the parts G lie across slots in the bars B, while if pushed longitudinally into another position the slots in the bars are unobstructed. The slots register with the corresponding slots in the press-box body, and through them the projections working in the latter slots also pass back and forth. Obviously, then, if the slides obstruct the slots in the bars in advance of the rising or falling plunger the latter must take the press-box with it if it continues its advance. The rods are caused to slide back and forth by any convenient device-such, for example, as the crank-rod G supported in brackets G and bearing arms G, whose ends are connected to the sliding rods, the whole moving with the press-box when that is carried on bodily W hen the press-box is drawn downward by the plunger, it is obvious that the geared nut is lifted with equal force, and to prevent upward displacement of the latter it is held by a strap or yoke H, secured to parts which cannot arise--for example, to cross bars H, themselves attached to the lower members of the press-frame. W hen by the plunger. I

the plunger and its separable block or section are approaching each'other, they are brought into proper relative position by means of a central projection I upon the one and a converging recess I, Fig. l, in the other, thereby 1 preventing possible binding through faulty alinement.

In operation a sheet of bagging is usually placed upon the top of the press-box, and the latter is raised to its highest position with or without the aid of weights and locked in this position by the bails. The door is then opened and cotton is placed in the lower part of the box, after which the door is closed, and then by throwing the proper belt upon the fast pulley the screw and plunger are forced upward, compressing the charge of cotton into the upper part of the'box and against the bed, where it may he held by the usual projections or teeth upon the inner faces of the box. The other belt is then thrown upon the fixed pulley, and thereby the plunger is forcibly or positively withdrawn, and when it has been lowered a second charge is introduced in like manner. This operation is repeated until the box contains the amount of material desired for a bale, or ordinarily about five hundred pounds; but just before the last charge is added the plunger is run down far enough to permit laying a sheet of bagging upon its upper removable section or block. The marginal portions of this sheet are carefully pushed into the marginal recess in this section, so that as the plunger moves they will not be caught by other parts. The entire mass in the box is then compressed until the projections upon the removable sec tion are engaged by the bails, which hold this section independently of the plunger proper, and thus keep the material fully compressed when the box and plunger proper have been moved downward, leaving the bale exposed and pendent from the upper frame members. The block being thus engaged, the slides are moved into position to obstruct the slots in the bars B, and by proper shifting of the belts the plunger is forced downward. In its descent it strikes the slides, and.

slides, bars, and press-box are carried downward with it, leaving the bale exposed, as in Fig. 2. When the box reaches the proper point, its projections B swing the catches B aside and pass them, and as the counterweighted catches immediately return to position by gravity, engaging the projections, the box when disengaged by the plunger is prevented from rising. The wrappings are now adjusted upon the exposed bale, the ties being slipped between the bars of the bed and those of the coacting plunger-block and secured in place. To release the bale, the plunger may be raised far enough to slightly compress the formed bale, when the bails may be swung outward, as indicated in dotted lines, and secured by the hooks or in any suitable way. The plunger being again lowered slightly, the bale is removed laterally, this completing the cycle of operations.

any desired weight. If the box is sufiiciently overweighted by them, it will of course automatically assume its highest position whenever it is free to move, while if the weights be not heavy enough to produce this effect they may still make raising and lowering the box by hand a very easy matter. If the weights be not employed, the plunger will serve for moving the box positively in either direction, according as the projections are above or below the slides when the latter are moved into slot-obstructing position.

It is obviously quite possible to put the first charge in the press-box by lowering the latter and filling both the upper and lower portions through the open upper end of the box, the door being meantime left closed; but this proeedure is optional.

It is evident that this invention is applicable to most forms of down-packing and rotary-twin-box presses as well as to the lip-packing form chosen for illustration and also that the details of construction may be varied in many ways without passing the proper limits of my invention, and I therefore wish to claim my invention broadly as well as specifically.

hat I claim is- 1. The combination with a press-box arranged to slide bodily to expose the material within it, of coacting compressing members one of which moves toward and away from its companion, and means for holding the unbound material compressed when the box and moving member have left it.

2. The combination with a press-box arranged to move bodily to expose material compressed within it, of a movable compressing member, and means for at will compelling the box to share the movement of said member.

In a press, a compressing member having in its outer face a recess to receive the free portion of the bagging usually placed over such member.

4. The combination with a laterally-slotted press-box, of a plunger movable in said box and provided with projections extending outward in said slots, and devices carried by the box and movable into and out of the paths of said project-ions, whereby the box and plunger move together.

5. The combination with a laterally-slotted press-box. of a plunger reciprocating in said box and provided with projections extending out through said slots, and devices without the press-box adapted to engage said projections.

6. In a press, the combination with a pressbox arranged to move bodily to expose the material within it, of means for at will locking the box at either limit of its path of ordin-ary movement, and means for compressin material within the box.

4. The combination with a press-box arranged to move bodily to expose material within it, of means for compressing material within the box, automatic devices for locking the box against movement when it reaches a certain position, and means for at will rendering such loclcing devices inoperative.

8. The combination with a press-box arranged to slide and thus expose the material within it, of counterweights tending to restore the box to normal position when it has been moved therefrom, and means for locking the box against sliding.

in testimony whereof I have signed this specification in the presence of two witnesses.

\VILLIAM E. ELAM.

'itnesses:

J. WV. BLACKMAN, SAML. R. QUINCY. 

